City offers to recycle old oil filters

On Saturday, May 17, Yolo County residents can receive a free motor oil filter when they recycle their used one at any AutoZone or O'Reilly Auto Parts store in Yolo County or Napa Auto Parts (Pisani's) in Winters.

Rosie Ledesma, conservation coordinator for the city's Public Works Department, said there is a limit of two exchanges per resident, while supplies last. A new filter must be comparable in quality and cost to the used oil filter recycled. Participating stores may ask you to fill out a recycling pledge form before exchanging the filter.

The city's environmental services staff will also be onsite at the Woodland AutoZone and O'Reilly stores from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free oil collection containers, funnels, and oil rags for participating residents.

The filter exchange and oil change supplies are made possible by a grant from CalRecycle.

"Most people know to recycle their used motor oil rather than dump it down drains or in their backyard, but there are still a lot of people who don't know that their oil filters can be recycled too," said Ledesma. "Getting a free new filter in exchange for recycling your old one is a way for people to make that first step to start recycling their filters."

Each year California generates 67 million used automotive filters per year. The filters are considered hazardous waste and are banned from landfills; however, they are also completely recyclable. Each filter has about a pound of re-usable steel. Before it is drained, an oil filter can contain over a pint of used oil. All the filters sold annually in California can be recycled into 67 million pounds of steel, enough to build three large sports stadiums.

AutoZone and O'Reilly Auto Parts in Woodland accept used oil and filters for recycling daily.